1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to miniaturized encoder devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a miniaturized encoder which receives data from multiple sensors and a GPS data source on board a small diameter projectile and then encodes the data for transmission to a receiving station.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is currently a need to monitor and encode data from multiple sensors located on board small diameter projectiles. The sensors on board the projectile include a serial asynchronous data source which provides GPS (Global Positioning System) data and accelerometers and magnetometers which provide analog data for encoding into a PCM data stream.
The problem of limited space is especially acute when attempting to instrument projectiles such as a motor round when the instrumentation system is confined to the space inside the projectile's fuze. For example, in the standard North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) fuze there is a very small space for incorporating a pulse code modulation (PCM) encoder as a component of the on board instrumentation system for the projectile.
Accordingly, there is a need for a pulse code modulation encoder which utilizes a minimal number of electronic components and which provides the capability of encoding and formatting serial asynchronous data and analog data into a PCM data stream.